Crash Course
by faroutfangirl
Summary: High School Teachers AU. Judy Hopps has been rejected out of the police academy, and decides to become a Criminal Justice teacher at Zootopia High. However, things aren't as peachy keen as she expects, with Algebra teacher Nick Wilde across the hall and a class that doesn't care. When a teacher's son disappears, though, Judy dedicates herself to the case, along with Nick in tow.


The alarm buzzed promptly, but Judy was already awake, tapping the buzzer and sprinting out of bed. The coffeemaker gurgled to life and began to brew. She grabbed the pre-selected outfit off a chair- a light blue long sleeved shirt paired with a navy a-line skirt -and nearly ran to the shower. The warm water would have woken her up on any other given morning, but she was already wide awake.

She was going to be a _teacher_!

And not just any teacher- a criminal justice teacher, at that. Being rejected from the police academy had been a tough obstacle, even with her relentless optimism. Her dream of being the first bunny cop hadn't been realized, and it had been hard. But those who couldn't do, taught. So here she was, fresh out of college, and ready to teach a group of eager high school students what criminal justice entailed. She hoped that maybe, just maybe, she would go on to inspire another prey to break the barriers she couldn't.

After getting dressed, she grabbed the coffeepot and poured the hot liquid into a travel mug, topping it off with a tad of cream and sugar. Judy slid on her shoes- a pair of short navy heels that she found practical -and took her purse off the hook. On her way out the door, she snatched her keys. Her eye caught her reflection in a mirror by the door. She took a moment to ponder on it; while it was never where she thought she would be, she was happy. Or at least she was happy that she was on the road to happiness. Something like that.

With a dash of lip gloss, she was out the door and sprinting down the stairs. She lived in the outskirts of Zootopia, and so she was able to afford an apartment that was much bigger than what she would have had if she resided in the center of the city. She probably had much better neighbors, too.

She raced to the subway, sipping her coffee as she paced. Her books required for teaching were already at the school, thankfully, so all she had was her canvas purse.

"Hey, classes don't start for another two hours, hon," the receptionist called when she entered the school. He was a plump cheetah, and a pink box of donuts sat in front of him. He picked one up and ate it in one bite. Judy's eyes widened, but the rest of the staff didn't react.

"Oh, no, I'm a teacher," Judy replied. "Criminal Justice, room HD03."

He looked a bit surprised, but also ecstatic. "Oh, so you're the bunny! Criminal Justice, whew, that's quite a class. The last one, a polar bear, ended up quitting halfway through the semester. Had to get a sub for the rest of the year. Welcome to Zootopia High, by the way. I'm Clawhauser, provider of any and all gossip, news, and information you may need during your time here."

Judy stepped up to the desk to shake his hand, barely reaching the counter. "Nice to meet you. I'm Judy. Judy Hopps."

"Well, Ms. Hopps, it's nice to meet you. Let me give you a rundown of the charming characters you will be encountering on a daily basis." He pointed to a buffalo, and spoke as if he were divulging trade secrets. "That's Bogo, the school's police officer. Watch out for him. He didn't like last year's Criminal Justice teacher _at all_. Part of the reason they quit, actually." Judy grimaced at the thought. Clawhauser gestured to a lion- she knew him; he was Principal Lionheart -that towered over a petite lamb- who she only knew by name; she was Vice Principal Bellwether. They seemed engaged in conversation. "That's Lionheart. You've probably met him, right?" Judy nodded. "Yeah. And that's Bellwether. She's more of a glorified secretary. I think the school board just wanted the support of the sheep, to be honest. Rumor has it they're a couple," he whispered. Judy drank it all in. The thought of teaching had slipped her mind now, she was so engrossed in the gossip. Whether they had a large role in the school or not, Clawhauser introduced them all, from Finnick, the janitor, to Flash, who supervised the cafeteria.

Just an hour and a half remained before class began, so Judy bid adieu and hurried to her classroom. She slammed the coffee mug on the desk, and laid out her seating chart, lesson plan, and pens that corresponded with her color coded system. The rabbit grabbed a dry erase marker and began writing in her best cursive, "Ms. Hopps' Criminal Justice Class." Underneath, she wrote, "Introduction to Criminal Justice: Why are you here?" Judy had thought long and hard about the question she would use on the first day of the class, eventually landing on one she thought was short and got to the point. Continuing, she drew the seating chart as well as jotted down the list of materials needed for the class and the night's homework assignment. She placed a printout which displayed the overview of the course on each desk, as well as a pencil. Finished, Judy stood back to admire her work, satisfied. An hour still remained until class started, so she decided to venture into the hallway and meet the teachers she would be coexisting with for the rest of the year.

To her right was an English teacher named Mrs. Otterton, who she found caring and sweet. To her left was a bear named Grizzoli, who taught Zootopian History. His personality was the polar opposite of Mrs. Otterton's; while he wasn't rude, per se, he certainly wasn't inviting. The only other classroom on the hallway belonged to the resident Algebra teacher.

Judy didn't think of herself as prejudiced against other animals, but the Algebra teacher was a fox, and foxes had never been particularly kind to her. She flashed back to Gideon Grey at the fair, and how he had laughed at her dream. When they had graduated and Judy dropped out of the police academy, Gideon had been the first to mock her, saying he knew she would fail. Not to mention, foxes always turned up their noses at her, and their condescension had always struck one of Judy's nerves. Maybe this fox was different, though. Maybe- she squinted at the paper listing the teacher's names -Nick Wilde would be different.

Judy crossed the hallway from Grizzoli's classroom and into Wilde's, where the Algebra teacher was busy playing a game on his phone. He didn't glance up until Judy cleared her throat, and even then, she was met with a "hold on, I almost have a new high score." She noticed nothing was written on the whiteboard except a scribble she think read "Algebra I." There was not even his name or a homework assignment. Well. His priorities were certainly different from hers.

"Sorry, had to get that new high score," he said when he finally deigned to acknowledge her presence. "It's pretty much all I did this summer."

Judy tried not to bristle. She _wished_ she could have lounged around and played video games all summer. Instead, she was outlining lesson plans and organizing papers and pens.

"Nice to meet you," she said, trying to sound authentic. "I'm Judy Hopps. I teach Criminal Justice across the hall."

"Oh, so you're the new fresh meat they've brought in." He glanced her up and down. "Can't believe they chose a bunny when they had a polar bear last year. Wonder if you'll last longer than he did."

Judy's smile stayed intact, all plastic. "Well, I was top of my class at the police academy," she replied.

Nick smirked. "Then why aren't you a cop?"

The words were enough to make Judy's artificial grin unravel. "The Zootopia police force wouldn't accept a bunny. They offered me a job in Bunnyburrow, but I declined. Not that it's any of your business," Judy hastily added the last sentence.

He leaned back, almost looking like he respected her response. "Nice to meet you, Fluff. I'm Nick, and I teach Algebra here."

"Yeah, I knew that from they flyer," Judy said quietly. Neither of them said anything. "Well, I better be getting to my class. Nice to meet you."

"You too, Carrots. Careful out there. The students are brutal."

Judy wanted to chastise him for the nickname, but thought it better if she just nodded and left. Oh, his nerve. She would definitely be avoiding him for the rest of the school year.

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 **A/N: first of all, thank you to dragonrider1234 for giving me the idea for this fic in the first place! Sorry it took so long to post it, lol. Anywho, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. The Zootopia "muse" comes and goes so often with me.**

 **Thank you for reading! Faves/follows/reviews are always greatly appreciated. :D  
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